For Chris Mullin and St. John’s, guard play will be key to upcoming season

St. John's coach Chris Mullin knows the post isn't what it once was in college basketball.

"I'm not sure there's a low post scorer on the face of the earth anymore," he said Thursday.

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Mullin will rely on his pair of guards to get to the rim and make things happen this season. Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett are back as sophomores for the Red Storm, and they will lead the team into its season opener Friday night when New Orleans comes to Carnesecca Arena. Both are expected to push the pace in Mullin's third season as the headman at his alma mater. Improvement is expected to come as they mature.

"They've grown up a lot," forward Marvin Clark II said. "They were both very dynamic scorers last year, but now they understand it is not all about scoring. They've developed tremendously on the defensive end and making plays or others."

Ponds and LoVett both earned unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman team last season. Ponds put up 573 points for the season to establish a new mark for school history. In averaging 17.3 points per game, Ponds announced himself as a headliner for Mullin's rebuilding project.

Clark II will be one of the players contending for time on court, as well. He sat out last season after transferring from Michigan State, and he brings a 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame and a gap-tooth smile into the rotation. Clark II is battle tested after two seasons in the Big 10 with the Spartans. Mullin will need him to collect rebounds for a St. John's team that struggled on the boards last season.

"That's always going to be a focal point for us," he said.

The Red Storm has been picked to finish sixth in the Big East. The team finished 14-19 last year, but additions like guard Justin Simon, a transfer from Arizona, look at Ponds and LoVett as the building blocks the rest of the program needs to fit around.

"Their playmaking ability is incredible. I love playing with them," he said. "It's going to be a very exciting year."